" मेरा मन "

जज़्बात मेरे होते गए हलाल दम - ब - दम |
क्या यही ज़िन्दगी हैं अब हर कदम ?
हमसे ख़ुशी क्यों नज़र चुराती हैं ? ए खुदा,
क्या हमारी दुश्मनी हैं कई बरसों से ?

हां हमें भी होती थी ख़ुशी कभी |
लगता था छुलेंगे आस्मा अभी |
पर वो तो ख्वाब ही था सभी |
हकीकत में तो वो बदलेंगे नहीं |

काश ! सब चीज़ों की तरह मिलती ख़ुशी बाजारों में | हां ,
हम भी ज़रा खरीद लातें कुछ अशरफियों में |

अब कैसे और कहाँ से लाये वो सकून और अमन ?
जिनके पीछे भागता हैं ये बेचारा मेरा मन |

- पूर्णिमा
टाइम : १२:२० पम
डेट: १६.०४.२००५

The Lost Child!

It was Sunday afternoon and had nothing much to do and just thought to visit the most awaited and is said to be the biggest mall in India "The Mantri Mall" located at Malleshwaram in Bangalore. I had warned him not to go on Sundays to this mall, as I could see the huge crowd daily while heading from office to home.

He was totally taken back seeing the crowd, the traffic, everything looked terrific and so distrubing and unorganized as of yet. I said its the wrong time to visit, but not sure when is the right time though to visit it. People seemed so crazy to see the building and feel the shops... small babies in the trolleys and the old ones on wheel chair.. everyone was there... My goodness i told him i don't want to see it after seeing the crowd outside. The vehicles puking all its carbon and yelling at other vehicles with horns on each other for making their way to the mall was absolute perturbing to the babies and old people. yet all wanted to have a look at it and take rounds there.

The Welcoming Entrance

I could not make out whats what and where in the mall, all i could see is people, people and only people around. You can just imagine shops overloaded with people more than the goods in it. The mall was totally "packed with people".

The Exterior of the mall

We were just out after getting billed our goods in a trolley (totally not wanted to shop, but ended up buying quite few things) i happened to see a boy crying and wandering with fear in his eyes. No one even bothered to ask the child, suddenly i stopped the guy and started to enquire what was the problem with him. Poor thing was so scared to even talk. I tried to comfort him and take the number of his mom, within no time his mom suddenly appeared and i handed over the boy to her. That boy started hitting his mom in anger for leaving him behind somewhere, hmm huh! i can understand the frustration, fear and anger.. with mixed feelings of that l'll heart.. :( This reminded me of a lesson i read in school called "The Lost Chid" by Mulkraj Anand... :)

We were just taking rounds and could only finish ground floor and first floor, i donno how many where there. Already started feeling sick about the place.. . and were totally exhausted and was getting too late at night.

Actually it could be a nice place to hangout on weekdays, when there is less crowd. It has lot of things to check out, just a day is not that all sufficient to have a look at it at least... :)

For shop-o-holics its the right place.. everything under one roof... rush in there now...!

For more information about the mall click here

Happy Shopping... :)

Hurray Hurray its Hol(y)i Hol(y)i Day...!!!

HOLI - Celebrated in India in commemoration for different reasons. There are different stories attached behind this fest.

Holi is celebrated at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month of Phalguna (February/March), (Phalgun Poornima).

Its said that Holi is celebrated to pay tribute to the pure and unconditional Love of Lord Radha and Krishna.

Lord Krishna playing colors with Gopikas ( His girl friends)

Its believed that Lord Shiva smoldered Kama ( Lord of Love) by opening his third eye, When Kama tried to disturb Lord Shiva's Penance. Holi is also called as Kama Dahan.. so fire is set on the dummi statue filled with grass old clothes and all such stuff on the previous day. like people make bonfire and next day they play with colors.

Lord Shiva with Nandi ( Bull - His mode of transportation)

Bonfire symbolizes Kama Dahan and also Holika Dahan, Which is observed on the previous day of the fest!

Bonfire

The main emphasis of the festival is on the burning of the holy fire or Holika. The origin of the traditional lighting of Holi is attributed by some to the burning of demonesses like Holika, Holaka and Putana who represent evil, or to the burning of Madan according to others.

Its believed that even Lord Shiva drinks bhang. Bhang is some intoxicating drink prepared especially on Holi day! Its amazing to know that people who drinks bhang keeps on doing the same thing when they start doing something the whole day... :) like if they start laughing they laugh continuously, if they cry they keep crying.. until they are out of that intoxication and that may take a day to come out of it.. :)

Bhang (Intoxicating drink)

Its also celebrated to remember the miraculous escape of child Prahlad, the great devotee of Lord Vishnu. When Prahlad was set on fire for only chanting the name of Lord Vishu and not of his father Hiranyakashupu. By Lord's grace he happened to escape from that fire set on him due to his unfailing faith in Lord Vishnu!

Demon Hiranyakashupu, Prahalda and Lord Vishnu.

Later Lord Vishnu came in the form of a Narasimha (who is half-man and half-lion) and killed Hiranyakashipu at dusk (which was neither day nor night), on the steps of the porch of his house (which was neither inside the house nor outside) by restraining him on his lap (which is neither in the sky nor on the earth) and mauling him with his claws (which are neither astra nor shastra).

People dancing after drinking bhang..!

Holi is played with all the colourful colours sprinkling and spraying and get drenched with colorful pichkaaris on others. Its basically a fun filled festival irrespective of class, creed or colour.

Everyone is overjoyed with patching colors on their friends... :)

Colours are also the significance of different stages of life as well.. So what I feel is its also the celebration of different stages of human life as well.. how lovely! isn't it?

So Happy Holi People... Holi Hai!!!

Source: Mixture of my thoughts and some from internet